The present disclosure relates to the hermetically sealed packaging of optical, electronic, opto-electronic and other devices.
The packaging of integrated circuit chips, which may include, for example, one or more optical, electronic or opto-electronic components, typically requires that the package be hermetically sealed to prevent contaminants such as moisture from interfering with proper operation of the components. High quality, hermetically sealed packages may be filled, for example, with a passivating, inert gas such as nitrogen. Other ambients, including substances such as lubricants and buffer gases, may be introduced into the package to reduce degradation of the components encapsulated within the package.
Many hermetic packaging technologies, such as reflow soldering, glass soldering, anodic bonding and welding, use temperatures above 300° C. Unfortunately, certain substances that may be useful for reducing wear of the components in the package degrade when exposed to such high temperatures.
Nevertheless, it would be helpful to provide a technique to facilitate the introduction of wear-reducing or other substances that may be incompatible with the high temperatures often used to fabricate hermetically sealed packages.